iStock Help Centre

These Help Articles are here to get you using iStock like an old hand.

Table of Contents

1. Find what you want with iStock
   1. Searching for the right item
   2. Browsing through the results
   3. Viewing a listed item's details
2. Advertising through iStock
   1. Registering with iStock
   2. Adding a new Advertisement
   3. Managing your Advertisements
   4. Updating your details
3. Preparing Photos for iStock
   1. Taking the photos
   2. Getting the photos onto your computer
   3. Final adjustments
   4. Exporting your photos

You can also view our Terms & Conditions for Web Site Users and Advertisers or contact us directly with any enquiries you may have.

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Help Article #1

Find what you want with iStock

Buying through iStock is simple and free. From the home page, you can click on one of the newest advertisements if you see something you like straight away.

Or, you can click on the Browse button at the top of the page to go to the Search page.

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Searching for the right item

The iStock Search screen

At the Search screen, you can specify the following search criteria:

1. Sub-categories (e.g. Angus), for each of the main categories (e.g. Cattle). Note that you can omit a main category by selecting None or return all sub-categories by selecting All Types.
2. You can select a State of Australia using the drop-down list, or click directly on the map image.
3. You can optionally specify a search keyword. This lets you search through a listings Title and Description for a keyword.
4. You can choose how to sort results: alphabetically by title, grouped by category, sorted with listings ending soon at the top, or with the latest listings at the top.

Once you've specified your search criteria, click the Search button. This displays any results for your criteria at the bottom of the page.

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Browsing Search Results

iStock Search results

Down the left hand column is a list of the first 15 results. If there are more than 15 results, there is a link to more results at the bottom of the list.

The results list shows the following information:

1. The coloured icon for the listing's category - e.g.
2. The title of the listing. Click on the title to view the listed item's Detail page.
3. The sub-category of the listing (e.g. Angus).
4. The location of the item, including the address and the distance and direction from the nearest regional centre (e.g. 50km East of Normanton).

On the right hand side of the page is a map of the currently selected State of Australia. On the map are shown the main regional centres for that state. You may see a yellow Info Icon above a regional centre: This means that there are listings located near this centre.

Place your mouse cursor over the Info Icon and a small window will appear, showing thumbnail pictures, titles and locations for every listing near that centre:

iStock Map Info Window

You can click the thumbnail image or the title to view the listing's Detail page.

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Viewing a listed item's Detail Page

iStock Listing Detail Page

Down the left hand side is all the information regarding this listing. This information includes:

1. Title, Address, Direction and Distance from the closest Regional Centre;
2. The Price may be displayed;
3. Description of the item;
4. If the Advertisement includes more than 1 image, you can click on the row of thumbnails to see each image at a larger size in a new window;
5. The start and ending dates of the Advertisement;
6. The number of times this Advertisement has been viewed;
7. Contact details for purchasing the listed item.

On the right hand side is the map of the State that the item is located in. The nearest regional centre to the listing is marked with the Locator Icon:

This is where the iStock service ends. It is now up to you to contact the listed item's seller, agree on a price and organise payment. Good luck!

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Help Article #2

Advertising with iStock

Advertising with iStock is a great way to have your livestock, machinery or property displayed to a national audience.

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Registering with iStock

In order to list your item, you must first obtain a member's account. Registration is free! Just click the Advertise button at the top of the page. Above the Log In form, you will see a link that takes you to the Registration Form.

New Member Registration Form

Just fill in all the fields and click the Save button. Now you have a Member's Account with iStock! If you've just joined, you will already be logged in. But when you leave and then return to the site, you will need to log in manually. Click the Advertise button at the top of the page to go to the Log In Form.

Members Log In Form

Enter your e-mail address and password and click the Log In button. You are taken to the Add Advertisement page.

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Adding a new Advertisement

Listing your item on iStock is a very easy process. You only need to fill in a few forms, optionally upload an image and then pay for the listing using the Secure Payment Gateway provided by the Commonwealth Bank.

Add a new listing Step 1

• Select a category and a sub-category, then click the Next button.

Add a new listing Step 2

• You can add a title, description and an optional price. Users of Internet Explorer 6 for Windows will see a toolbar across the top of the Description field. You can use these tool buttons to add Bold and Italic styling, as well as adding bullet and numbered lists.
• You can add up to 5 images to your listing. The first image will be displayed at a larger size than the rest, which will be displayed as a row of thumbnails. Before adding images, you may want to read our Help Article on Preparing Images for iStock.

• To add an image, click the Browse button and the Open Dialogue box appears.
• Navigate to the location of your image and click the Select/OK/Open button and the Open Dialogue box disappears.
• The path to your image is now entered for you in the Image Field.

• Click the Upload Image button and wait as the image is added to the iStock web site. This may take a few minutes, depending on the speed of your internet connection and the size of your image.

• You'll know when the image has been added when you see a list appear that shows the image you just added. Here, you can click the Remove link to delete an image that you don't want in your listing.
• The first image you upload will be displayed at a larger size, and all subsequent images are displayed as thumbnails that can be clicked to view the full-size image.
• When you have uploaded all of your images, click the Next Button.

Add a new listing Step 3

• This page shows different information depending on the category to which your item belongs. Fill in all the fields as best you can and click the Next Button.

Add a new listing Step 4

• Click the Preview button and a new window will open to show you exactly how your item will look on iStock! When you are done, close the Preview window. If you want to make changes, click the Back button.
• Type in a Start Date for your listing. This can be today, or some time in the future. The format should be Day, Month, Year. Day and Month should be 2 digits each and the Year should be 4 digits e.g. 02/12/2006.
• Select a Duration for your listing. You will see how this directly affects the final advertising fee.
• Read through our Advertising Terms & Conditions. If you agree, click the Complete button to proceed to the Secure Payment Gateway.

Add a new listing Step 5 - Secure Payment Gateway

• Click on your credit card type.

Enter your credit card details

• In the Secure Payment Gateway window, enter your credit card information and click the Pay button.
• If your transaction is successful, you will be taken to the My iStock page which displays all items you have listed on iStock.

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Managing your listings

Once you have listed one or more items with iStock, you can view them all on the My iStock page. Just click on the My iStock button at the top of the page and log in if you haven't done so already. Once logged in, you will see a list of every item you have listed with iStock:

My Listings

You can click on a listing's Title and view the listing's Detail Page. You can click a link in the far-right column to Delete your advertisement. You should do this only when you have either sold your item, or have purchased your Wanted To Buy item, because you cannot undo this step and it removes the item from display on iStock. If you are certain you want to Delete an item, click the link and then click the OK button on the confirmation dialogue. The item is now marked as Completed and will no longer be visible to iStock users. To view all Completed items, select "Completed" from the drop-down list near the top of the page.

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Updating your details

To update your details at any time, you must first log in. Click the My iStock button at the top of the page, and log in. Beneath the main navigation bar, near the top right of the page is a status bar that only appears when you are logged in.

Log In Status Bar

It displays your Account Name, and there is also a link that lets you edit your account details.

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Help Article #3

Preparing photos for iStock

A great photo of your sale item will help you sell quicker and for the right price. The easiest way to add photos to your listings is with a digital camera. There are many different ways to prepare photos that are suitable for use on iStock. If you don't know how, or you want to try some different ways, here are some methods you can try.

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Taking the photos

• Even a brief tutorial on the basics of photography is beyond the scope of this document, but there are still plenty of excellent resources on the internet.
• Try and fit the whole item in the picture frame.
• Try and keep the light source (e.g. the sun, interior lights) behind you and the camera.
• iStock lets you add 5 pictures to a listing. Use this feature to provide photos taken at different angles, or long distance and close-up shots.
• Once you have a range of photos to choose from, it's time to get them onto your computer.

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Getting the photos onto your computer

For Windows 2000 and XP- Using Picasa

• You can download a free program called Picasa from Google. Once you have downloaded and installed Picasa, you can connect your camera to your PC (usually with a USB cable) or use a card reader to access your camera's memory card.
• You can then easily import your photos into Picasa.

For Mac OS X - Using iPhoto 5

• Some Apple computers come with a program called iPhoto. Once you have opened iPhoto, connect your camera to your computer.
• As soon as your camera is connected, iPhoto switches to import mode and you can now import your photos.

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Final adjustments

Now that you have your photos on your computer, you can fine tune the images to get the best results.

For Windows 2000 and XP- Using Picasa

• If a photo is up the wrong way, you can rotate it.
• Your item may not take up the whole frame. In this case, you may want to crop your photo to remove unnecessary objects.
• Sometimes a photo may be too light or too dark. In this case, you can adjust the lighting to compensate.
• If the colours look a little washed out, you can increase the saturation to make the colours appear more vibrant.

For Mac OS X - Using iPhoto 5

• If a photo is up the wrong way, you can rotate it by clicking the Rotate button near the bottom left of the window. You can also make small adjustments by straightening the photo.
• Your item may not take up the whole frame. In this case, you may want to crop your photo to remove unnecessary objects.
• Sometimes a photo may be too light or too dark or the colours look a little washed out. In this case, you can use the Adjust panel to edit the Brightness and Contrast, and you can also increase the Saturation to make the colours appear more vibrant.

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Exporting your photos

Your photos look great and now it's time to export them in a format suitable for iStock.

For Windows 2000 and XP- Using Picasa

• Select the photos you want, then export them using the following settings:
  • Resize to 800 pixels;
  • JPEG setting 75%;

For Mac OS X - Using iPhoto 5

• Select the photo or photos you want to export.
• Choose Share > Export.
• Click the File Export button at the top of the Export Photos window.
• In the File Export pane, change the desired options:
  • Format: Choose JPG from the Format pop-up menu.
  • Size: Scale images no larger than Width 640 x Height 480;
  • Name: Choose to export photos with their filenames.
  • Select the "Use extension" checkbox.
• Click Export.
• Choose a location for the photos you are exporting, then click OK.

Your photos are now in a suitable format for use on iStock. Well done!

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